Friday, October 24, 2003

A program that began Thursday could make the ride home a little smoother for some soldiers.

Under "Operation Hero Miles" people will be able to turn their frequent-flier miles over to their airlines, which in turn will make them available to soldiers trying to get home for their brief leaves.

Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger D-Md., said he got the idea after he visited troops passing through Baltimore-Washington International Airport...

Delta customers can donate miles to the program by e-mail, fax or mail. Details can be found on the Web at Delta's Web site.

On Thursday, Southwest Airlines donated 20 ticket vouchers to the USO and said its passengers could begin turning in miles immediately. A Southwest spokeswoman added that customers already are allowed to use frequent-flier points for a free ticket or transfer the points to someone else.

"In this case, if a customer would like to donate their ticket to 'Operation Hero Miles,' we certainly would allow them to do that," said Christine Turneabe Connelly, a Southwest spokeswoman.